朝 meaning and stroke order
Imperial or royal court; government; dynasty
How to write 朝, stroke by stroke
12 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 朝
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- imperial or royal court
- government
- dynasty
- reign of a sovereign or emperor
- court or assembly held by a sovereign or emperor
- to make a pilgrimage to
- morning
How 朝 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Moon.
月 gives the meaning and 龺 hints at the sound.
Radical: 月 (moon), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 朝
朝 has 龺 on the left and the moon 月 on the right. Picture the moon still hanging in the sky as you turn to face the morning, which ties together the senses of facing (cháo) and morning (zhāo).
Read as cháo, it means to face or toward, as in 朝着 (cháozhe), and appears in court and dynasty words like 朝代 (cháodài) and 王朝 (wángcháo). Read as zhāo, it means morning, mostly in idioms like 朝气蓬勃 (zhāoqì-péngbó). Example: 他朝门口走去。(Tā cháo ménkǒu zǒu qù.) He walked toward the door.
Common mistake: Learners often read every 朝 as cháo, but in morning words such as 朝三暮四 and 有朝一日 it is zhāo. Also do not confuse it with 潮 (cháo, tide), which adds the water radical 氵.
Common words with 朝
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 朝着 | cháozhe | towards | HSK 7-9 |
| 有朝一日 | yǒuzhāo-yīrì | one day; sometime in the future | HSK 7-9 |
| 朝代 | cháodài | dynasty; reign (of a king) | HSK 7-9 |
| 朝气蓬勃 | zhāoqì-péngbó | full of youthful energy (idiom); vigorous; energetic | HSK 7-9 |
| 朝三暮四 | zhāosān-mùsì | lit. say three in the morning but four in the evening (idiom); to change sth that is alrea | HSK 7-9 |
| 朝夕相处 | zhāoxī-xiāngchǔ | to spend all one's time together (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 王朝 | wángcháo | dynasty | |
| 朝廷 | cháotíng | court; imperial household | |
| 朝向 | cháoxiàng | toward; to face | |
| 朝圣者 | cháoshèngzhě | pilgrim | |
| 朝圣 | cháoshèng | to make a pilgrimage | |
| 底朝天 | dǐcháotiān | upside down; upturned | |
| 朝前 | cháoqián | facing forwards | |
| 朝阳 | Cháoyáng | to be exposed to the sun; in a position facing the sun |
朝 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 朝
Learning 朝 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 朝
How many strokes are in 朝?
朝 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 朝 mean?
朝 (cháo) means imperial or royal court; government; dynasty. A common word with it is 朝着 (cháozhe), meaning "towards".
How do you pronounce 朝?
朝 is pronounced cháo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 朝?
The radical of 朝 is 月, which carries the idea of "moon". Dictionaries list 朝 under this radical.
Is 朝 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 朝 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 朝 and 向 for saying toward?
Both can mean toward, as in 朝东 and 向东 (facing east). 朝 is more about physical direction, while 向 also works with abstract targets like 向他学习 (learn from him), where 朝 sounds odd.
How do I know whether to say cháo or zhāo?
If the meaning is morning or early, it is zhāo, usually in set phrases and idioms. For facing, court, dynasty, or pilgrimage, it is cháo, which is the more common reading in everyday speech.